Soldier Whose Death Was at the Center of Trump Controversy Is Laid to Rest in Florida

U.S. Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson, who was among four American soldiers killed in Niger earlier this month, was laid to rest on Saturday.

Nearly 1,200 mourners attended the private memorial service held at the Christ The Rock Church located in his home state of Florida, reports the Associated Press. A flag-covered coffin holding Johnson’s remains was seen being carried into the church.

Once inside, a portrait of Johnson, 25, was displayed on stage alongside photographs of the three other U.S. service members who were also killed in the ambush on Oct. 4: Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia.

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“We have to remember that one thing – that it wasn’t just one soldier who lost his life,” said Berchel Davis, a retired police officer, according to the AP.

Johnson’s pregnant widow, Myeshia, was seen holding the arm of an officer as she led her two children into the funeral service. The family dressed in white.

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Johnson, a native of Miami Gardens, and three other U.S. service members, were killed during an ambush near a village close to Niger’s border with Mali on Oct. 4.